Our Editors Tested the 10 Best Vacuums for Pets to Truly Eliminate Pet Hair
Updated: Apr. 03, 2024
Dog and cat parents know how useful a quality vacuum is for loose fur. These are the the best vacuums for pets to keep your home clean.
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We love having pets in our homes, but the pet stains and hair that accompany them? Not so much. Pet hair removal is an especially daunting task. Whether you have dogs or cats, their fur clings tightly to fabrics and gets stuck in hard-to-reach places, giving even the most dependable vacuum a challenge if it isn’t the best vacuum for pets. But don’t fret—there are units designed specifically for picking up pesky pet hair. We researched the best pet vacuums and put them to the test in our own hairy households, gauging whether their suction, maneuverability and special features could stand up to real-life pets. These are the standout models that lived up to our expectations.
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Best vacuum-mop combo for pets runner up
Bissell CrossWave X7 Cordless Pet Pro Wet-Dry Vacuum
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Best overall vacuum for pets
Dyson Outsize Plus Vacuum
Pros:
- Extra-large head with detangling vanes
- Cordless with two rechargeable batteries
- 0.5-gallon collection bin
- Laser-beam dust detection
- Multiple attachments
- Smart display
Cons:
- Must hold power button down to operate
- Top heavy and doesn't stand on its own
It’s bad enough that our tester’s, Nancy Snyder, pit bull mix, Ernie, sheds a lot, but his fur actually weaves deep into carpet and upholstery as if it were part of the fabric. Most vacuums and pet hair removers simply don’t discern between the two—until the Dyson Outsize Plus. There are pet hair vacuums and then there are pet hair vacuums.
While the initial unboxing of this cordless vacuum and all its parts had Snyder overwhelmed, she quickly discovered that it came packaged with everything she needed (and better yet, didn’t even realize she needed) to completely de-fur her home. The Digital Motorbar XL head deep cleaned her carpets and hard surfaces while clearing wrapped pet hair from the brush as it went. “I used it all over my hardwood floors and area rugs while quietly thanking Dyson for switching to an even larger canister bin than their previous models,” says Snyder. And after clearing the floors of fur, the Laser Slim Fluffy Cleaner Head illuminated microscopic dust and debris with a—you guessed it—green laser beam, so no trace went undetected.
This best vacuum for pets features four additional attachments for convenient, effective cleaning of just about every surface of your home and car. “My favorite attachment was the Hair Screw Tool, which strongly gripped the furriest of surfaces, such as my dog’s bed or dog car hammock, to completely rid it of stubborn fur,” says Snyder.
While she doesn’t have carpet, Snyder’s parents do, and they dog sit for her often. “I tested the hair-suctioning power of the Digital Motorbar XL on a strip of carpet and was amazed and embarrassed (and ultimately wondering if I would need to find new dog sitters) after seeing how much pet hair was pulled into the bin,” she says.
The vacuum liquid crystal display (LCD) screen allows you to choose between three power modes or auto, which automatically adjusts suctioning power based on floor type. It also displays remaining run time (a feature Snyder loves), which is extra long thanks to the additional battery pack. While the Dyson Outsize Plus is heavier than other cordless, stick vacuums, Snyder feel it’s a fair trade off in exchange for a powerful, effective vacuum that picks up more hair and needs emptying less often.
Best value vacuum for pets
Eureka PowerSpeed Turbo Spotlight
Pros:
- Great value with a powerful suction
- Only weighs around 10 pounds and easy to maneuver
- Includes upholstery and crevice tool attachments
- Works on hardwood floor and thin carpet
- Retractable cord and bagless design
- LED headlights
Cons:
- Not cordless
- Doesn't work well on high-pile carpets
The Eureka PowerSpeed Turbo Spotlight is the inexpensive vacuum every pet owner needs. Caroline Lubinsky‘s, senior shopping editor, lab/pit mix, Kobe, sheds like his life depends on it. If she doesn’t vacuum multiple times per week, the off-white living room rug turns into a dishwater gray speckled with Kobe hairs.
“However, I’m happy to report his fur was no match for this budget vacuum,” says Lubinsky. “I was impressed by the PowerSpeed’s ability to pick up embedded pet hair (I didn’t even need to use a carpet rake to agitate!). Once his bevvy of dog hair collects in the 2.6-liter dust pan, I simply press a button over our trash can and the canister empties.”
Besides the handy light-emitting diode (LED) headlights, this under-$100 vacuum comes with a crevice tool, a turbo pet brush and an upholstery tool. Lubinsky was able to clean everything from couch cushions to Kobe’s bed in one swoop. “Oh, and did I mention it’s light?” she continues. “At just 10 pounds, it’s easy to take from room to room or even up a staircase. You’ll be able to eradicate your home’s pet hair easily and on a budget. What could be better than that?”
Best value vacuum for pets runner up
Fabuletta 6-in-1 Cordless Lightweight Vacuum
Pros:
- Budget-friendly cordless option
- Compact and only weighs 5.5 pounds
- Works on multiple surfaces and fabrics
- Flexible swivel brush with LED lights
- Includes dust brush and crevice tool
- Reusable HEPA air filter
Cons:
- Dustbin may need to be emptied frequently
Snyder’s pit bull mix sheds all over her hardwood floors. “I wanted a lightweight vacuum that was quick and easy to use on the regular, but didn’t take up too much space in the closet,” she says. “As a dog mom, I also wanted something that wasn’t too loud (let’s be honest, keeping the dog from attacking the vacuum is sometimes half the battle of cleaning).”
The Fabuletta 6-in-1 cordless lightweight vacuum checked all of the boxes, and did so at a fairly affordable price. Despite being ultra lightweight at just 5.5 pounds and fairly quiet, it powerfully sucked up hair and dirt from the floor. And the base features LED lights to illuminate dark corners and crevices, so you don’t miss a thing.
“I can even use it to give the dog bed an occasional cleaning,” says Snyder. It comes equipped with a rechargeable battery, an optional wall-mount and two attachments—a dusting brush and crevice tool—for keeping couches (and the hard-to-reach areas underneath it) hair free. An added bonus? It features a reusable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to clean and purify the air of pet dander while you vacuum.
Best vacuum for pets on Amazon
Bissell Cleanview Swivel Pet Rewind
Pros:
- An average of 4.5 stars from nearly 22,000 ratings
- Powerful suction and easy-empty latches
- Three extra hose attachments (that store on vacuum)
- Bagless design
- Cord rewind
- Detachable dirt chamber
Cons:
- Stored attachments fall off easily
Not only does the Bissell Cleanview Swivel Pet Rewind tackle pet hair embedded in carpets, scattered across hardwood and woven into furniture upholstery, it features a simple fix for a universal problem with vacuums—having to wrap the power cord. No matter how many times Reina Galhea, deputy shopping editor, uses it (and she’s been using it about once a week for a year and a half now), she never get tired of pressing the rewind button and watching the cord suck back into the vacuum base. “The 30 seconds it saves me is almost as gratifying as how powerful of a cleaning tool this vacuum is,” she says.
Thanks to its three extra attachments (in addition to the standard tube and angled hose ends), she cleans all kinds of different fabrics and surfaces with ease—floors, furniture, blankets, you name it. “The TurboEraser, a spinning hose attachment that functions like a handheld vacuum, is my go-to for cleaning the couch and the cat tree,” says Galhea. “And as for the ‘swivel’ part of the name? This vacuum maneuvers around corners with a simple turn of my wrist, meaning I don’t have to rearrange the furniture just to get the carpets clean.”
Best vacuum-mop combo for pets
Tineco iFloor 3 Vacuum Mop
Pros:
- Dual functions as a vacuum and a mop
- Separate clean and dirty water tanks
- Smart digital display
- Docking station
- Easy to carry, push and pull at 17.64 pounds
- Very quiet
Cons:
- May have to refill water tank mid-clean in larger homes
- Not for use on carpets or rugs
Megan Wood, our tester, considers herself a clean freak. “I’d confidently eat anything that dropped on the ground,” she says. “After all, my floors were super clean, right? Right? Wrong. I tried the Tineco iFloor 3 Vacuum Mop, and the dirty water tank told a completely different story.”
Unlike your regular mop, which pushes dirty water around your floor, this vacuum has two tanks: one for clean water and one for dirty water. The suction pulls up dirt, dog hair, dust and debris while the damp spongy roller washes the floors. Wood can usually suck up a pile of dog food and mop a muddy footprint away with just one gentle pass.
“After my full review of the Tineco iFloor 3, I swear this mop changed my entire cleaning life,” says Wood. “I’ve vacuum mopped my floor about 100 times, and the water tank still comes out as black as a cup of coffee. I used to think I could get my floors to a perfectly clean state, but now I know I have to just keep on charging the iFloor 3.”
Wood has now been using this vacuum for almost two years, and has since welcomed a second dog and a baby into her home. The iFloor 3 has held up to the extra dog hair, spit up and miscellaneous spills without missing a spot or needing any replacement parts.
Best vacuum-mop combo for pets runner up
Bissell CrossWave X7 Cordless Pet Pro Wet-Dry Vacuum
Pros:
- Switches between vacuuming and mopping
- Eliminates hair and stains
- Works on hard floors and area rugs
- Cordless with a rechargeable battery
- Only weighs 10.6 pounds
- Self-cleaning function
Cons:
- Pricey
- Doesn’t pick up larger, elevated debris
Dawn Yanek, senior editor, is always vacuuming and mopping her tile and hardwood floors, and honestly, who has time to do both of those things every day? “Not me, which is why I was thrilled that the Bissell Crosswave X7 wet-dry vacuum lived up to its hype,” she says.
The CrossWave X7 boasts three settings—Hard Floors, Area Rugs and Turbo Pet—and comes with two containers of cleaning solution. A button starts the vacuum, and a trigger activates the mop, which has an LED light to illuminate the spot you’re working on. “I particularly loved how easy it was to switch back and forth between these features, just in case I missed some crushed Cheerios next to the now-dried pet (or kid?) stain,” says Yanek. “I also have a lot of long hair that tends to get everywhere, and I was worried that it would get tangled in the plush roller brush. But nope—the suction funneled it right into the tank without a problem. Plus, this genius vacuum mop somehow made my old area rugs look brand-new in 60 seconds flat.”
Just be aware that if you’re using this on a large space, you’ll have to frequently refill the tank with water and solution, and also empty the second tank full of dirty water and grime. That said, it’s a small price to pay for getting rid of all that grossness, which you won’t believe was actually on your floors before the X7 worked its magic. “Once you do realize it, trust me—you’ll be using this brilliant little machine all. the. time,” says Yanek.
After a few years of testing, Yanek is happy to report this trusty little vacuum mop is still hands-down the best cleaning product she owns. “I love that it allows me to multitask easily, not just switching between vacuuming and mopping with the press of a button, but also between hardwood, tile and carpeted floors with another,” she says. The only issue that has popped up is that it occasionally gets a little glitchy and shuts off shortly after she turns it on. According to Bissell’s website, this may be the result of excess hair getting tangled in the brush, though fixing the issue doesn’t always seem to be quite so cut and dry. That said, she has managed to get it working again every time, and she thinks the key here is running the self-cleaning cycle a little more regularly.
Best stick vacuum for pets
Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme Cordless Stick Vacuum
Pros:
- Use as a stick or handheld vacuum
- Only weighs 10.8 pounds
- Cordless with wall-mountable charging base
- Up to 55 minutes of runtime
- LED lights on floorhead
- Patented anti-tangle brush bar
Cons:
- Doesn't have the strongest suction
- Battery clips and vacuum heads are difficult to get on/off
With two elementary school-age kids and one medium-size rescue dog in the house, Galhea is sweeping and vacuuming on a daily basis. “I have a robot vacuum that I run regularly in my bedroom, but I find it cumbersome to lug up and down the stairs so it can access all areas of my house,” she says. “Besides, I typically find a few errant Legos or hair ties on the bottom floor of my house—not ideal for a robot vac to suck up.”
The Black+Decker stick vac is lightweight and cordless. At 10.5 pounds, it’s easy to move around and maneuver with no cord in the way. Galhea loves the LED floorhead light that literally shines a light on dog hair, crumbs and other dirt that she otherwise might not have seen. When fully charged, it runs for 55 minutes—ample time to vacuum just about every area you need to.
“My initial thoughts upon testing: The vacuum does an excellent job on the hardwood floors, even sucking up debris from the crevices,” says Galhea. “I found it to be about 80% effective when it came to picking up dog hairs from carpet and upholstery (but, to be fair, I’ve yet to find a vacuum that picks up 100% of pet hair). To really get it out, I use the ChomChom roller.”
After a few years of consistently using this vacuum, Galhea happy to report it has held up really well, though she can’t speak as highly about the Lego situation.
Best vacuum for pets on furniture
Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Pro
Pros:
- Attachments for cleaning entire home, including furniture
- Easy to move at 15.7 pounds
- Features Lift-Off detachable pod
- TurboEraser eliminates pet hair quickly
- Tangle-free brush roll
- Empties with the touch of a button
Cons:
- TurboEraser attachment can be noisy
- Suction is better on carpets than floors
The Bissell MultiClean is a must-have for pet parents, according to our tester, Kelly Kuehn. “Upon initial testing, I was baffled by how much of my dog’s hair this lightweight vacuum sucked up within the first five minutes of use—it nabbed so much hair and dirt and thoroughly cleaned my carpet,” she says.
Now, a year later, Kuehn can’t believe she didn’t make this game-changing vacuum a cleaning staple in her home sooner. The vacuum is still going strong, sucking up a plethora of hidden dog hairs and dirt each day. “My favorite part continues to be the TurboEraser attachment, which rids the furniture of my pup’s stubborn (and, I swear, endless) hair with ease,” she says. “I actually look forward to vacuuming now, since it does such a good job. Can’t wait to see how it holds up in year two.”
Best robot vacuum for pets
Shark IQ Robot Vacuum with Self-Empty Base
Pros:
- Hands-off vacuuming
- Self-emptying base holds up to 45 days of dirt and debris
- Maps your home to clean exactly where you want
- Compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Can be used on different floor types
- High-efficiency filter traps dust, dander and allergens
Cons:
- Requires smart phone or virtual assistant to access all features
If you cringe at having to vacuum your floors, let a robot vacuum do it for you. “With the Shark IQ Robot Vacuum, I don’t have to think about vacuuming for up to 45 days,” says our tester, Marisa Hillman. “That’s because once the vacuum mapped my home, I scheduled whole-home cleanings (or specific rooms when things needed to be cleaned ASAP) using the SharkClean app.” This smart vacuum also works with voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. When the robot gets full, it takes itself back to its self-emptying base. Once it empties itself, it resumes cleaning wherever it left off.
“I have been using this system every day for almost three years, and considering that I have four children and a lab that sheds like crazy, this vacuum is almost always running!” says Hillman. There’s no denying that this robot has incredibly powerful suction, and Hillman love how easily it goes from hardwood to carpet and back again. Plus, its self-cleaning brush roll prevents both human and pet hair from becoming wrapped around it, so you never have to break out the scissors.
Best handheld vacuum for pets
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser
Pros:
- Reaches tight spaces
- Only weights 3 pounds
- Includes motorized brush, upholstery tool and crevice tool
- Works on blankets, hard surfaces, carpet and furniture
- Relatively quiet
- Cordless design
Cons:
- Requires eight hours to fully charge
The delightful part about having a ginger tabby is that his orange fur shows up on both dark and light surfaces, meaning Galhea’s vacuum is permanently glued to her hand. “And while I love my Bissell CleanView Swivel Rewind for bigger pet messes, it’s a pain to plug in from room to room when I’m spot cleaning. Enter: the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser,” she says.
The newest version of the Pet Hair Eraser comes with three suction attachments: a motorized brush, an upholstery tool and a crevice nozzle. Though the upholstery attachment didn’t seem to improve the vacuum’s function during Galhea’s testing, the motorized brush was a wonder for removing fur from her couch, velvet office chair and cat bed (all of the fur baby’s highly-trafficked areas). “I gave the crevice tool the ultimate test—the cat tree. I’m pleased to report it sucked up all the hair, claws fragments, stray litter and shredded rope from the tree itself, where Big Red gives himself a daily manicure. (It’s the only piece of furniture this cat is allowed to scratch.),” says Galhea.
Though it doesn’t compare to the suction power of an upright vacuum, the Pet Hair Eraser is ideal for those trickier areas that a larger vacuum couldn’t reach. Even after a year, Galhea finds herself reaching for the Pet Hair Eraser on a daily basis to spot clean around the house. “I’ve found that it works better for one-off messes (like vacuuming up the remnants of a carpet stain I treated with Angry Orange) than for continuous cleaning because of the long charge time,” she continues, “but it’s such a handy tool for keeping things tidy when I don’t want to break out the upright vacuum. And for a pet parent, it’s invaluable.”
What to look for when buying a vacuum for pets
When looking for the best vacuum for pets, the two most important features are suction power and filtration. According to Josh Mutlow, Dyson design manager, “It’s vital that your machine has strong suction power across all floor types to ensure high performance, as carpets require much more suction power to deliver a proper clean than hard floors.” And when it comes to a good filtration system, Mutlow says, “Most people who own vacuums don’t know there’s a filter in their vacuum, let alone how well it performs, so having a high-quality filtration system when you have a pet is very important.” Pet hair also means dander, which can cause allergies, as Mutlow points out. He recommends a vacuum that features advanced, whole-machine filtration that only expels clean air.
After suction and filtration, pay attention to technology and features. Mutlow suggests looking for attachments and cleaner heads that contain brush bars, providing agitation on surfaces for optimal hair pickup. Attachments that include anti-tangle technology are also key. Not only do they help pick up hair, dirt and debris that are ground into the floor, they also help capture dander, pollen and other microscopic bacteria that might have made their way in from outside.
Why you should trust us
Removing pet hair is a daily chore, which is why our team of editors (and pet owners) are not just product testers, they’re avid users. The tried-and-true vacuums that made this list have been rigorously tested for months (and in some cases, years) to see how they have held up over time. From dogs to cats and fur of all lengths, our team at Reader’s Digest has worked to pluck every type of hair from every surface of our home to help you find the best vacuum suited for your needs. We also consulted Josh Mutlow, Dyson design manager, to hone in on what pet owners really need to look for when selecting the unit for their household.
15 vacuums tested against pet hair
There are tons of vacuums on the market that claim to be designed for pet owners, however, they’re not all created equal. In order to compile our list of the best vacuums for pets, we tested the top models in our own homes on real pet (and kid) messes. We considered features such as suction, maneuverability, cord length, weight and special features, such as lights. We also took expert recommendations into consideration and sifted through thousands of reviews to see what other users had to say. The end result? We narrowed down that initial list of 15 to the top 10 vacuums in a wide range of price points that excel at sucking up stubborn pet hair.
FAQ
Does vacuuming remove pet dander?
How often should you vacuum with pets?
This depends on the type of pet you have and how much they tend to shed. Some pet parents might need to do a quick cleanup every day while others can let two or three days pass without breaking out the best vacuum for pets. The key is to pay attention to your pet’s shedding and act accordingly.
Originally Published: July 07, 2022
